Automatic lighter



. March so, 194s. F, BUS'HMAN 2,438,632

AUTOMATIC LIGHTER Filedv July 19, 1945 Nfl" I,

Patented Mar. 30, A1948 UNI TED STATE @all E NT FFICE AUTMATIC LEGH'ER Frederick?. Bushman, Valleo, Calif.

Application July i9, w45, Serial No. 605,904-

ZClaims.. 1:

This invention relates to improvements inautomatic' lighters,i and consists in the novel; coni,- struction hereinafter disclosed.

An object. of the im/ention is to provide an automatic lighter of the type including an abra-- sive wheel a flint and wick that will' be emcient in operation and' which mayv be ecGnomi-callyv manufactured.

Anyadfditional object of the invention* is to pron vide anew combination of parts in a lighter of the class, described; which is particularly adapted to, be fabricated primarily from molded plasticmaterial which, when assembled', will be durable in use and inexpensive to manufacture.

Additional` advantages. of the construction will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention,A taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a pla-n View;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partiallysection;

Fig, 3 is a front elevation partially. in section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical seotionthrough the device, substantially on the line ll-il of Fig. 1;.

Fig. 5is a fragmentary side elevation, partially in section, with the top cover removed;

Fig. 6 is a. bottom plan View of the cover. sec.- tion; and

Fig. 7 isa, vertical section, oi certain. of. the parts illustrated in Fig. 4 in open` adjustment.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing the bottom section of the device comprises a reservoir including a 4cylindrical side wall I, a top wall 2, having an upstanding boss 3 on the top face thereof, and a bottom wall d. This reservoir section is preferably molded in one piece, preferably of plastic material, with the exception of the bottom wall 4 which may be separately molded and attached at the bottom of the cylindrical wall I with a miter joint and cemented in place.

The bottom wall is provided with a ller cap 5 and an axial opening is formed in the boss 3 through which a Wick E extends from the reservoir to the top face of the boss 3.

The cover section yof the device is likewise pref erably formed from molded plastic material and comprises a hemispherical Wall I and a separate segmental lid 8 that is iitted into an opening in the wall 'I at the front thereof. The upper seotion also has formed therewith a web il, having the form best shown in Fig. 6, and supports on its t-op face extending ends of the abrasive wheel shaft, later to be described.

In the top section are angular aligned notchesl (Cl. dif-4.1)

2, iii on either side, provi-ding means tor mounting; the# wheel shaft.

The topI section is.y mounted over the! bottom ysection and has miterjoints therewith.. top, sectionis held in` place by a series of spring snaps ii, carried around the periphery of the upper face of the-wall l near the upper edgeA thereof, which engage in openings I2 formed in; the face or the top section l' near the lowerv edge thereof. Releasable means are therefore provided for removing the top section and to hold the two sections. together in assembled relations.

In the under face: of. the lid 8 and molded therein, is an abrasive disc or wheel. lit., throughwhich a shaft. it extends, said shaft I4; being of a sunicient. length toA be` seated` in4 the bearings therefor the topiwall ci, the web The angular notches it provide means, :forY moving said shaft lengthwise in either direction,` to position, ift, so that the lid 8 may be centeredandf pivotallyy supported at each side.

ItW-ill be noted that the abrasive disc er wheeli t@ has-peripheral serra-tions forming. a. roughenede segment I5 partially around its ciroufmierenca the roughened' segment extending about 909i.

There is an opening it through the Webi Stini vertical `alignment with the periphery.Vv of. the. disc it; which constitutes a. mountingl and guide,` for. a cylindrical ihnt Il which may be inserted. from the bottom of the opening Iii. when the, top sec-e tion is removed.

In `order to resiliently press the flint I1 upwardly, a coil spring lil is provided, one end of which is secured in a recess in a boss I9 on the under face of the cover section.

An extension 2G of the spring I8 enters the yopening i 6 in the web 9, and the end thereof engages the under face of the flint I'I, after it has been inserted in the opening I6. The tendency of the spring is to force the flint upwardly into contact with the serrated segment I5 of the abrasive disc I3.

An :expanding coil spring 22, having two coils spaced apart and mounted around the shaft I4 on either side of the wheel I3, is secured at one end by spring-pressure against the front vertical wall Iof the web 9. The opposite ends of the coil are extended, forming resilient arms 23 that impinge against the under face of the lid 8.

A spring latch device Zd, one member lof which is carried in the body of the top section and the other member of which is carried in the forward edge of the lid 8, is provided to `hold the lid 8 closed against the tendency of the resilient arms 23 to snap it to open position.

It will be understood that, since the pivot support for the lid 8 is the axis of the abrasive wheel or disc I3, when the spring latch device is released the lid will snap upwardly, and, since it rigidly carries the abrasive disc, the serrated segment I5 thereof will travel across the upper face of the int I1.with a snapping abrasive movement. This action sparks the flint in proximity with the upper end of the Wick 6, lighting the same, as the lid 8 moves to open position.

It will be noted that over the end of the wick and in the under face of the lid there is provided a semi-circular recess 25, which operates as a snuffer device for snufiing the wick when the lid 8 is again brought to iclosed position and latched in such position by the snap latch 24.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the invention provides an eiiicient device, suitable for an automatic desk lighter, which is especially designed to be fabricated from molded plastics.

I am aware that the invention may be modied in certain particulars without departing from the essentials of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An automatic lighter comprising a hollow base forming a iiuid reservoir, an upstanding boss on said base having la vertical bore therethrough, a wick `in said bore having one end extending above said boss and the other end extending into said reservoir, a cover section removably connected to said base enclosing said boss, a web formed integral with said cover section including a portion adjacent said boss, a wel1 in said web portion, a flint in said well having its upper end near the upper end of said wick, a wire spring having one end anchored in said cover and the other end extending into said well from the bottom thereof into contact with said flint biasing4 said int upwardly in well expelling relation, a pivoted lid forming part of said cover section, an abrasive wheel anchored in said lid against relative movement, a shaft extending through the center of said wheel and having bearingsupport in said web forming a pivotal support for said lid and wheel, said wheel including an exposed serrated portion in contact with said flint maintaining said hint in said well against the force of said spring, latching 4 means normally maintaining said lid closed, and spring means biasing said lid towards open position adapted upon release of said latching means to rotate said serrated portion of the wheel across said iiint to effect sparks whichstrike said wick for igniting the same. Y

2. An automatic lighter comprising a hollow plastic base forming a uid reservoir, an upstanding integral boss on said base having a vertica] bore therethrough, a wick in said bore having one end extending above said boss and the other end extending into said reservoir, a plastic cover section removably connected to saidbase enclosing said boss, a web formed integral with said cover section including a portion adjacent said boss, a Well in said web portion, a int in said well having its upper end near the upper end of said wick, a spring located solely in the cover section biasing said flint upwardly in well expelling relation, a pivoted plastic lid forming part of said cover section, an abrasive wheel anchored in said lid against relative movement, a shaft extending through the center of said wheel and having bearing support in said web forming `a pivotal support for said lid and wheel, said wheel including an exposed serrated portion in contact with said int maintaining said flint in said well against the force of said spring, latching means normally maintaining said lid closed, and spring means biasing said lid towards4 open position adapted upon release of said latching means to rotate said serrated portion of the wheel across said int to effect sparks which strike said wick for ignitingthe same. Y

FREDERICK P. BUSHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED i The following references are of record in the le of this patent:A

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

